Dr. Rhonda Itaoui

My career has been defined by using social research to drive social change, with a particular focus on social equity and serving communities of color, particularly through migration. I've been undertaking social impact research as an academic for 12 years and consulting for the last 5 years. I come from an underrepresented background - my parents didn't finish beyond Year 9 in school after migrating to Australia, and English is their second language. Education was really critical in shaping my future and where I am today. I completed three degrees at university, and the most formative part of my journey was completing my PhD in social sciences at Western Sydney University in 2022. During my PhD program, I was awarded an Endeavour Scholarship (similar to the US Fulbright Scholarship) from the Australian government, which brought me to the University of California, Berkeley as a visiting scholar for two and a half years. That experience was really rewarding and transformative, helping me learn to think more globally and connect with leading scholars in the spaces I was engaged with. My most notable achievement was being promoted to director position at the center for Western Sydney just two years after graduating with my PhD - these roles are usually held by very seasoned academics with at least 15 to 20 years of experience. That promotion helped me understand my power, see my leadership potential, and inspired me to pursue consultancy-style work. The center didn't have an established consultancy service until I stepped into the position and built that service, which has now inspired me to pursue my work independently. I recently relocated to the United States and am now self-employed as the principal consultant in my advisory firm, Itaoui Advisory. My main areas of expertise are social research, social impact measurement and communication, and thought leadership and training in social impact. I work with clients at a national and global level, as the social issues and challenges my clients tackle are universal and I have the ability to work at a local, national, or global level.